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‘As a result it became a real practical proposition to use the apparatus for making drawings from life.’

‘Anybody who has ever drawn from life can tell you that drawing is like touching.’

‘The large back room features portraits drawn from life - the actual rather than the ideal.’

‘Already his painting recorded a scene of a disappearing London that had been painted from life.’

‘I trained as a painter initially, and spent a lot of my time drawing from life.’

‘From this process emerges spontaneous sketches and studied works from life or the imagination.’

‘It took him a mere two hours to sculpt his subject from life in wax before going on to mould the likeness in his unique paste.’

‘At this period El Greco did not paint from life, except for the heads in his portraits.’

Phrases

do anything for a quiet life

Make any concession to avoid being disturbed.

‘But you get the feeling he'll do anything for a quiet life.’

‘The amount I donate is pathetically little compared to how much I spend on books, but there you are - we've already established I do anything for a quiet life.’

‘I will normally do anything for a quiet life but on this occasion I couldn't.’

for dear (or one's) life

As if or in order to escape death.

‘I clung to the tree for dear life’

‘Sue struggled free and ran for her life’

‘And they should have run for their life when they discovered the foul-smelling swamp nearby.’

‘From the nature of her injuries, it was apparent that Jodi had fought desperately for her life.’

‘They ran for their life and climbed a tree when the waves came.’

‘Put it this way: of the current team, who would you most like batting for your life?’

‘You don't give a damn if you feel you are fighting for your life.’

‘After he had been interrogated, and fearing for his life, he escaped through a police station window.’

‘Today, she is desperately fighting for her life in hospital and a bone marrow transplant is the only thing that could cure her.’

‘If you hear a candidate say, ‘I'd like to plant a thought in your mind,’ you'd better run for your life.’

‘I spent days three and four fighting for my life, desperate to gain the trust of my opponents.’

‘Decaying gangs of the shambling undead fire out words and phrases at you, and you have to hammer them back, quickly, accurately, desperately, typing for your life.’

desperately, with all one's might, with might and main, urgently, with urgency, vigorously, with as much vigour as possible, for all one is worth, as fast as possible, as hard as possible, like the devil

informal often in imperativeStart living a fuller or more interesting existence.

‘if he's a lout, then get yourself out of there and get a life’

‘I have got a life and I don't need to live vicariously through others in a sort of blog-related addiction.’

‘As you can see, things have calmed down since last month and I have, as they say, got a life.’

‘Now it's about time that these guys got a life and came out of the dark ages - they're living in the Civil War era!’

‘In a similar vein one can't help thinking most people would be better off forgetting about lifestyles and getting a life.’

‘But with both the league, union and rules seasons about to start, it really is time certain rugby union types got a life and focused on the challenges and problems facing their own code and leave rugby league to our own!’

‘‘Laura's now got a life and it's made us realise the value of being together,’ he said.’

‘Most of us must make a fateful choice: should we devote our time and talent to making a living - or to getting a life?’

‘The official version is that she wants to get a life, sceptics say she counted up the votes and thought she would lose, but more intriguing is the theory that she saw the way things were moving and began to fear that she might win.’

‘They're people who, you know, quite frankly need to get a life.’

‘So I finally decided to act like the social being anthropologists tell me I'm meant to be, and got a life.’

give one's life for

Die for.

‘She spoke out and gave her life for not only civil rights but human rights.’

‘Perhaps one of the things war monuments and graves do is to make you reflect on whether you would have the mettle to give your life for what you felt was right.’

‘And they know that I'm willing to take risks, and this is something that I would be willing to give my life for, because I believe in it.’

‘There is nothing worth giving your life for, it's all about survival.’

‘Altruism, support, self-sacrifice, of the kind that sprang up rather startlingly in the third stanza - ‘I give my life for that’ - are viewed with a prevailing cynicism.’

‘That tenacity led to Steve giving his life for the public he was proud to serve.’

‘I think you aren't wholly alive until you know what you would be willing to give your life for.’

‘This ‘good’ guy, who is invariably a ‘superman’, can beat up a minimum of 20 to 30 baddies, and has a girl he will give his life for.’

‘She was touched, and added yet another member to her brief list of people she loved and adored and would gladly give her life for.’

‘I smile and think of the woman I love, the children that I would give my life for.’

‘A cheetah bounds into a picture, large as life, head thrown back and maw wide, roaring or yawning over a rib cage.’

‘I doubt that you would sanction drinking and gambling on such a scale, but there you are as large as life, directly above the club's reception desk.’

‘Suddenly Peggy just appeared at the side door as large as life.’

‘Even sadder was the mid-2002 suddenness with which Our Man Geoffrey, large as life, disappeared from the small screen.’

‘Here he was today in Parliament, large as life, and there was not one single question on the Order Paper from the Leader of the Opposition.’

‘But when they lined up for the team picture before their Champions League semi-final, there he was, large as life, and preserved for posterity.’

‘‘They were in again last night, large as life,’ he murmured.’

‘In their original testimony, they claimed to have been working when he wandered in, large as life, in the company of a man resembling the person described by her as their attacker.’

‘The scar is still on my hip, large as life and on our wall next to the front door is a picture of Angela, Alex and me in the hospital, posing for a picture.’

‘The Case of the Missing Elephant is soon solved, for, behold, five pages further on there is the selfsame caption with the correct picture, and the elusive pachyderm large as life in the foreground.’

larger than life

1(of a person) attracting special attention because of unusual and flamboyant appearance or behavior.

‘Scorsese's stories have always featured larger-than-life characters’

‘He is a colourful character, larger than life, fun, friendly and always joking.’

‘The larger than life owner attracted some of the biggest acts of the 60s and 70s to a grateful Leigh, as well as raising thousands of pounds for local charities.’

‘Perhaps being ‘one note’ is what makes them memorable & larger than life.’

‘He was a larger than life character - jovial, outgoing, hugely personable.’

‘But he can't make himself larger than life, and neither can his cult followers, no matter how hard they try.’

‘It was meant to be, like, noir sort of style, so it's set in a completely unreal universe that doesn't represent anything in the world, and all the people are larger than life.’

‘They came from all parts of the country and overseas to bid their fond farewells to a man who was larger than life and who worked so hard for his constituents in his beloved Roscommon.’

‘And it was as if he was suddenly larger than life, a living breathing projection of my own wilted self-image.’

‘He's got that movie star quality happening - there's something larger than life about his frame, his presence.’

‘‘It's about the last time that you believe in people as larger than life,’ he says.’

1.1(of a thing) seeming disproportionately important.

‘your problems seem larger than life at that time of night’

‘It was meant to be, like, noir sort of style, so it's set in a completely unreal universe that doesn't represent anything in the world, and all the people are larger than life.’

‘They came from all parts of the country and overseas to bid their fond farewells to a man who was larger than life and who worked so hard for his constituents in his beloved Roscommon.’

‘He's got that movie star quality happening - there's something larger than life about his frame, his presence.’

‘And it was as if he was suddenly larger than life, a living breathing projection of my own wilted self-image.’

‘The larger than life owner attracted some of the biggest acts of the 60s and 70s to a grateful Leigh, as well as raising thousands of pounds for local charities.’

‘But he can't make himself larger than life, and neither can his cult followers, no matter how hard they try.’

‘‘It's about the last time that you believe in people as larger than life,’ he says.’

‘Perhaps being ‘one note’ is what makes them memorable & larger than life.’

‘He was a larger than life character - jovial, outgoing, hugely personable.’

‘He is a colourful character, larger than life, fun, friendly and always joking.’

the life of the party

A vivacious and sociable person.

‘She has a vivacious personality and is easily the life of the party wherever she goes.’

‘Three days before her death, we held our annual Happy Halloween party, and she was the life of the party.’

‘Trying to avoid drunkenness is pretty tough in this culture, and it doesn't exactly make you the life of the party.’

‘Described as vivacious and the life and soul of the party, she was never short of an invitation to a charity gala on South Africa's high society circuit.’

‘Once you're re-charged, you'll be the life of the party!’

‘I have a policy that I'm the the life of the party.’

‘Everyone seems to like you since you are funny and the life of the party.’

‘He's not the life of the party, but he's the guy talking about the life of the party, or making fun of the life of the party.’

‘She was the life of the party, and I can't imagine that's changed, wherever she may be.’

‘Your friends think you are the life of the party.’

one's life's work

The work (especially that of an academic or artistic nature) accomplished in or pursued throughout someone's lifetime.

‘Dharma implies that each of us has unique talents waiting to be expressed through our life's work.’

‘Like the swarms of people who flock to Web sites devoted to the study of genealogy, company owners who fall into their life's work through happenstance or inheritance may feel rootless, even disaffected.’

‘The artist has finished what he once called his life's work and now lives in sheltered housing in Manchester.’

‘What's it like to see a huge chunk of your life's work in one volume?’

‘After 20 years and 11 albums, he takes stock of his life's work in a new collection of his most famous songs.’

‘Some people, when they're told they have terminal illnesses, start planning for after life: writing memoirs, completing their life's work, sorting through their photo albums or whatever.’

‘The son seems to have made posturing against his father's accomplishments and beliefs his life's work.’

‘At the same time, she always found her life conditions, as an impecunious single woman editing and translating the work of great men, to be unpropitious for even defining much less accomplishing her life's work.’

‘Paul's position was not academic theory; it was a statement of his life's work.’

‘At the late career stage, faculty members begin putting together their life's work, although some use this period to pursue entirely new agendas.’

lose one's life

Be killed.

‘he lost his life in a car accident’

‘Well, thank God so far nobody has lost their life.’

‘The man who killed him also lost his life, but it was generally agreed that the sacrifice was worth it.’

‘It is terrible that someone has lost their life and that we have also lost such a historic building.’

‘Samson still lost his life, but he knew that they were going to kill him anyway.’

‘Luckily this time no-one lost their life, but 11 people have been killed in 70 days of chaos on our roads, and police are predicting more carnage in the summer months ahead.’

‘His son Joe lost his life when attempting to do likewise in 1862.’

‘We're very sad that somebody has lost their life and would like to send our sympathies to the family.’

‘The deceased lorry driver lost his life when he was forced to swerve his vehicle in an effort to avoid a small boy and drove into a lamp post.’

‘Every time an innocent person lost their life, he was heart-broken.’

‘I nearly lost my life and it's made me appreciate every single day.’

pass away, pass on, lose one's life, depart this life, expire, breathe one's last, draw one's last breath, meet one's end, meet one's death, lay down one's life, be no more, perish, be lost, go the way of the flesh, go the way of all flesh, go to glory, go to one's last resting place, go to meet one's maker, cross the great divide, cross the styx

‘‘It's a matter of life and death, really,’ he said, referring to the need for proper safety procedures.’

‘However, for people who need vital organs replaced, the deficiencies of artificial substitutes are a matter of life and death.’

‘The old fans' line says that football is not a matter of life and death, it's more important than that.’

‘Prevention is a matter of public health for governments, but a matter of life and death for individuals.’

‘Yet as well as turning York into one big traffic jam, these roadworks are also making life even more difficult for ambulance drivers, whose journeys are essential and can be a matter of life and death.’

‘Unionization was necessary; it was literally a matter of life and death.’

‘The ultimate outcome could be a matter of life and death.’

‘Whether his weekly column was on writing clearly, resisting tyranny or making tea, he always made it sound like a matter of life and death.’

‘‘I will not operate on you unless it's a matter of life and death,’ the surgeon told me.’

‘It is a truth barely appreciated that government not only matters, but it is a matter of life and death that the right people run it.’

vitally important, of vital importance, all-important, vital, crucial, critical, essential, of the essence, a matter of life and death, of great consequence, necessary, indispensable, exigent, pressing, urgent

‘It will continue to happen but as for just a stunt, not on your life Robyn.’

‘M. thinks it's awful and wanted to get in here and paint everything white and put down carpet and I told her not on your life, this room is mine.’

‘Mac smiled: ‘Speaking for myself, I'd say ‘not on your life.’’

save someone's (or one's own) life

1Prevent someone's (or one's own) death.

‘the driver of the truck managed to save his life by leaping out of the cab’

‘He was only going to surrender under the threat of death to save his own life.’

‘If he decided to jump off the train and saved his own life, he could do so without injury.’

‘He blamed himself for saving his own life instead of returning to the burning buildings to help others.’

‘Will the fundamental design of that equipment in fact save my life, or will it actually take it from me?’

‘But just as they came to the top, a big rig was coming towards them, and to save his own life, the driver in the truck swung back to the appropriate side.’

‘How could anyone be so desperate to save their own life when it means the deaths of so many other people?’

‘One camel is rejected at birth by its mother and the family goes to great lengths to save its life.’

‘The death of the mammal should not blind us to the excellence of the steps taken to save its life.’

‘Train your dog to basic obedience which makes it easy to live with and may one day save its life.’

‘Our ability to connect with our inner self could well save our life and that of the planet!’

1.1informal Provide much-needed relief from boredom or a difficult situation.

see life

Gain a wide experience of the world, especially its more pleasurable aspects.

‘The camp activities not only brought these children from such diverse places but also gave them an opportunity to see life in the raw.’

‘But for those who only want to see life through the lens of the camera, the festival is probably a good option.’

‘And - and to me, here was a chance to jump off that kind of wagon and see life for real.’

‘But if you want to see life as it is and travel and meet other people, buy a motorhome, Ron said.’

bring (or come) to life

1Regain or cause to regain consciousness or return as if from death.

‘all this was of great interest to her, as if she were coming to life after a long sleep’

‘He died and came to life again and hence conquered death.’

1.1(with reference to a fictional character or inanimate object) cause or seem to be alive or real.

‘he brings the character of MacDonald to life with power and precision’

‘all the puppets came to life again’

‘I defy the most cynical not to be struck dumb by the character parade, which comes to life to the tune of the Nutcracker ballet.’

‘The paradoxical implication is rather delicious: Instead of a real dancer playing a puppet who comes to life and dies, here is a real puppet who comes to life as an idealized human being and achieves immortality.’

‘Even better were the real life characters brought to life by the cast of players who were involved every week.’

‘Simon is another character who comes to life as never before.’

‘Children relate to puppets from their earliest years as they are used to making inanimate characters come to life.’

‘I had to be objective so that the characters could come to life, so that the work could have shape.’

‘The thing I love most about the job is animating and making your character come to life.’

‘But audiences willingly collude in that pretence and (when it's done well) rejoice in the characters it brings to life.’

‘As all children know, the minute you leave your room, your toys come to life.’

‘He had a supernatural presence, almost like a fictional character come to life.’

1.2Make or become active, lively, or interesting.

‘soon, with the return of the peasants and fishermen, the village comes to life again’

‘you can bring any room to life with these coordinating cushions’

‘It was very interesting to see their urban mural come to life and develop.’

‘The village of Gorthganny came to life with the sound of traditional music, song & dance recently.’

‘Houses have stories to tell, and it's only in the hands of a good guide that the anecdote-laden rooms truly come to life.’

‘It never ceased to amaze him how she could make a long reading assignment come to life and be interesting.’

‘The room just came to life at the end of the day when the educators in the room started talking about using weblogs in their coursework.’

‘It's interesting what you say about how a film can be brought to life again and pulled into the 21st century by something a bit more contemporary.’

‘None other than Dylan Thomas, with his rhetorical verse, could have brought to life with such gaiety and compassion the little fishing village of Llareggub.’

‘Thankfully, I found a small lantern with oil still in it, so I lit it and the room came to life.’

‘But it's so inept on every level that even scenes that have an inherent, almost foolproof interest fail to come to life.’

‘Still, i have to admit the villain's outfit is brilliant, especially the face, and the trailer seems interesting, as the period was well brought to life.’